Tag Archives: Musical

February 21, 2010 – The Lion King Becomes Eighth Longest-Running Broadway Show

“Let every creature go for broke and sing, let’s hear it in the herd and on the wing.”

On February 21, 2010, the Broadway production of The Lion King hit a milestone 5,125th performance, making it the eighth longest-running show in Broadway history. With this performance, the show surpassed the musical Rent in number of performances. The musical has been highly acclaimed since its debut on November 13, 1997, winning six Tony Awards (including Best Musical) and eight Drama Desk Awards for the Broadway production alone. As of 2018, the production is the third-longest running Broadway musical, behind Chicago and The Phantom of the Opera.

“Yay! He ruled in every way! A fairytale cliché! And people called him Galavant!”

On January 4, 2016, the musical comedy series Galavant premiered on ABC. Serving as the mid-season replacement for the series Once Upon a Time, the series followed the musical adventures of the knight Galavant as he seeks to reclaim his honor after his love Madalena jilts him for the evil King Richard. Aided by Princess Isabella, who wishes to reclaim her kingdom from Richard, and his squire Sid, Galavant journeys to the Kingdom of Valencia to take on the king. The series lasted for two seasons with 18 episodes, before it was cancelled in 2016. It starred Joshua Sasse as Galavant, Timothy Omundson as King Richard, Vinnie Jones as Gareth, Karen David as Princess Isabella, and Luke Youngblood as Sid. Music for the show was written by Alan Menken and Glenn Slater.

On December 20, 1998, the first international version of the hit Broadway musical The Lion King opened at the Shiki Theater HARU. Translated into Japanese, the production proved to be successful overseas and opened the doors for more international productions. As of 2017, the production is still running, having celebrated its 10,000th production on July 15, 2015. An original cast recording was also released.

November 20, 2007 – The Box Set High School Musical Hits Collection is Released Through Walt Disney Records

“Limited edition six disc set perfect for the High School Musical lover in all of us!”

On November 20, 2007, the six disc compilation High School Musical Hits Collection was released through Walt Disney Records. It featured the soundtracks for the two High School Musical films of the time, two karaoke albums, and the CD+DVD version of High School Musical: The Concert. The box set was a limited edition, and has been out of print for several years.

“After [performing in Mary Poppins] for two years in London, I just needed a break.”

On October 29, 2005, after 400 performances, actress Laura Michelle Kelly played her final performance as the titular character in the West End musical Mary Poppins. It was announced that the role would then be portrayed by Scarlet Strallen; Kelly traveled to Singapore to star in a production of A Twist of Fate. Kelly would return to the role of Mary Poppins in October, 2009, this time at the New Amsterdam Theater on Broadway.

On October 14, 2006, the Broadway version of the musical Mary Poppins began previews at the New Amsterdam Theatre. The musical, a joint production between Disney Theatrical Productions and Cameron Macintosh, had Gavin Lee reprising his role as Bert, while Ashley Brown took over the role of Mary Poppins. The show would officially debut on November 16, 2006, and would go on to be nominated for seven Tony Awards, winning one for Best Scenic Design.

August 28, 2003 – The Live Show The Golden Mickeys Premieres on the Disney Cruise Line

“The Golden Mickeys are tonight!”

On August 28, 2003, the live show The Golden Mickeys began performances on the Disney Cruise Line ship Disney Wonder. The show’s premise is that of an awards show, where the titular award is handed out to various Disney characters in specialized categories, including Heroism and Romance. Characters come from such films as Tarzan, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and Tangled. The show is hosted by a reluctant crew member, who has to take over the duties when the real master of ceremonies surprisingly doesn’t show. The show has been performed on the Disney Magic (from 2003 until 2010) and the Disney Dream (beginning in 2011); a version of the show was also performed in Hong Kong Disneyland starting in 2005.